Qi Xi
by liian risera
Summary: My submission for the BleachAsylum UlquiHime FC Tanabata fanworks competition. Oneshot. Spoilers from manga. Qi xi is name for the original, Chinese version of Tanabata.


**My submission for the Bleach Asylum UlquiHime FC Tanabata festival contest thingy. Dang, try saying that in one breath... I hope I can make it in time, seeing how I'm writing this the day before it's due -_-; Poem was written in about 12.4 seconds.  
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**SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen Ulquiorra's release yet, don't read. Oh and go read the Tanabata article on Wikipedia before starting this. And please, like always, REVIEW!  
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_Grey meets green  
Petals and wings  
Tears on ash  
Come back to me_

_-x-_

Orihime Inoue stumbled outside, to meet the summer night air. A warm breeze ruffled through the trees, and the leaves they bore rustled about, giving them the appearance of a breathing creature. Absently smoothing off her clothing, she stood up and began to walk.

Three years. It had been three years since....since Kuchiki-san had first met Kurosaki-kun. Since they had met Urahara-san and trained with Shihouin-sensei, since she had discovered her Shun Shun Rikka. Three years since they flew off to Soul Society to rescue Kuchiki-san...

Her feet moved methodically of their own will, and she soon found herself in a very familiar place.

Three years since she had first met two strangers that had landed in this very field. A memorial had been erected by the small crater in the ground they had made, a memorial for so many lives lost in a freak accident that only a small group of people would ever know about.

She sat herself on the edge of the dip in the ground, which was now covered with wildflowers and other plantlife.

Three years since...

_Come with me, woman._

Since the enemy known as Ulquiorra Cifer swooped down to carry her away... And then everyone had come to save her. They had all fallen at least once, and each pulse of their reiatsu she felt had terrified her. What if it was the last?

That experience was probably the closest she had ever come to madness. Those few days caged in a room, not knowing if her friends were winning or losing or already captured... In fact, it was a miracle she had kept her sanity.

No.

It was not a miracle.

The espada Ulquiorra Cifer had kept her going, though likely without knowing it. His genuinely curious interrogations had allowed her to delve deeper into her own beliefs. He gave her something to think about.

_What is a heart?_

In reality, she had pitied him more than she had feared him. He didn't know what a heart was. Did he even have one? His hollow hole had been moving closer and closer to his chest. What did that mean? That he was losing more and more of his human heart?

Heartless. She couldn't imagine how life would be like without one.

And then, in the final battle, she could only stand and watch as he disappeared, fluttered away as ash, became a part of the beauty in the desert. She knew her limits. The Shun Shun Rikka wouldn't be enough to bring back an entire person, and killing herself from the effort would only make all of Kurosaki-kun's hard work for nothing.

Kurosaki-kun.

She still admired him, though her foolish, childish crush on him was long gone. They were still friends, along with Ishida-kun, Sado-kun, Kuchiki-san, and Abarai-kun. And she was still friends with Tatsuki-chan and the others. But since that incident she had lost a bit of her cheery demeanor. She spoke less often and kept her eyes downcast most of the time. Smiling seemed a little painful to do, much less laughter. When she walked, her steps had become heavier....even after three years of recovery. People were worried about her, she knew that. But she just couldn't force herself to trick anyone else into thinking she was what she wasn't. Not anymore.

She also couldn't bring herself to attend the festival that was tonight. After a lengthy conversation with Tatsuki and Chizuru, she had convinced them to go without her. She was fine, alone here with the night weather. She could celebrate by herself.

She looked up to the dark sky, where countless stars twinkled and shone. It was beautiful, she thought. And it reminded her of another sky, in another world. One she would never see again, most likely. Who knew she would actually miss it? Her capture had only lasted a handful of days, after all.

Orihime glanced down at her wrist, where a simple silver bracelet hung. It was the same one Ulquiorra had given her, though it didn't work anymore. Perhaps it was a one-time use. She smiled, her lips a tight line. For some reason, it only left her when she bathed and slept. Just like her hairclips.

Fireworks went off in the distance, faintly, as the festival was being held on the other side of town. The festival meant to celebrate the joining of Orihime and her love. But that was a different Orihime. _Inoue _Orihime was not like her namesake, unfortunately. Her life just wasn't the fairytale she had always dreamed of...

"Happy Tanabata," she whispered to no one in particular.

"The same goes to you."

Orihime gave a sharp intake of breath. Could it be...? Turning around slowly, as if she didn't want to frighten off whoever had spoken, she stood up to face the person behind her.

A familiar, tall, thin, and serious looking man stood, wearing modern attire; just jeans and a jacket. Her eyes widened and her heartbeat roared in her ears as she took in more of the sight.

The same stunning green eyes and lowset brows. The same scruffy pitch-black hair, though there was no sign of a helmet. His skin was slightly tanned, and a little softer looking than when she had last seen it, and the dark tears on his cheeks were so faint they were barely visible.

"Woman."

"U-Ulquiorra?" the name sounded awkward on her lips, and he realized she had never said it out loud before. He shoved his hands into his pockets for a moment, closing his eyes. He stepped forward and opened them, the smallest of smiles gracing his mouth. His expression turned to one of mild shock as Orihime flung her arms around him, sobbing quietly. He gingerly returned the gesture, resting his chin on her head.

Orihime let the tears fall as she leaned against him and his surprisingly warm hug. It had been so long... She hadn't wanted it to end that way. Him slipping away before her eyes....but he was back now, and he was real.

"Woman." He broke the embrace and looked down at her, a warm finger wiping her tears away as another hand came up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.

"M-my name...." she said between sobs, "My n-name is Inoue Orihime."

"Very well."

They both smiled, genuine smiles that neither had made in a long time.

"Fall in love with me, Orihime."

And on that night, the Weaving Princess and the Starherd joined together in a kiss.

_- fin -_


End file.
